A while back I published a list of Life’s Little Infuriations, and followed that with a request that site visitors contribute their own nagging annoyances. (Check the comments on those posts to see what’s irritating others.)
Now, here are some of my latest infuriations. Enjoy the flowers, which have nothing to do with this post, except that they help to keep me more or less sane.
– Jackets without pockets. Where to put gloves? A tissue?
– Ice cold restaurant salads. Ice cold, brick hard restaurant butter.
– Food stores (supermarket, take out joints, etc.) charging the same or higher price for a smaller amount of food.
– Websites with useful or entertaining information, but no Share buttons.
– Websites that require your email address before they show you anything at all. My experience has been with mostly, but not only, home decorating sites. How on earth do you know if those sites will offer anything of interest to you?
– Road sings covered by foliage 3 seasons a year.
– Left turning motorists who don’t use their signals, so you’re stuck behind them when you could have gone about your business in the right lane.
– Tiny score boxes on televised baseball games; our screens get larger, their writing smaller.
– While I’m on the subject of sports: The constant chatter by broadcasters on topics unrelated to the game being aired. Also, the intense crushes they and the sports media get on some players. The hapless players seldom live up to all the hype. (Think recent Red Sox rookies, whose last names begin with “B.”)
– Top bed sheets marked “queen size” that are patently too small. They are the same size as those made for a double bed.
Leave a comment if you can relate to these. Or, share your own.
Services that advertise a particular price, but end up costing significantly more after a dozen or so extra “fees” are tacked on. Think airlines, hotels, cable TV/Internet, cell phone service… Sigh. So annoying! And makes it hard to compare the real prices.
You know, Jennette, I didn’t think of that. You’re right, or course. Not only do companies get away with charging for “extras” that are pretty much necessities, but I’m always shocked to see the fees tacked onto my actual bill, given what a representative of a cable or phone, etc., company has told me.
Reps who answer charity phones who are incompetent and have no knowledge of the charity or how to go about business in a businesslike manner. I had a recent experience with a very large church organization I’ll let remain nameless, the first call was to cancel the credit card I donated with, increase my donation, and give them a valid credit card. Guy was useless, couldn’t understand my name and address, took 15 minutes trying to find me on their site, I finally hung up. Called back today, got a second rep, he couldn’t understand why I was calling. I’m canceling my donation to this particular church social agency. Also had the same experience with another local charity today, tried to donate and they made it impossible to do so because the person who answered the phone was incompetent. What happened to businesslike charities? Does charity mean incompetent and mismanagement of funds? I’m beginning to wonder. I canceled my donations to both these agencies and I told them why, and they’re still wondering why I was upset because they don’t understand what I wanted in the first place.
Amazing experience, Kenna. I hope you’ll be able to find a charity you want to support, which also has capable phone reps!
On the topic of tiny score boxes on televised games, my 92 year old mother asked to be taken to the optometrist for failing eyesight. When the optometrist told her she had excellent eyesight for her age and asked what the problem was, she replied that she couldn’t read the score box during her beloved tennis matches on TV.
Can I ever relate, Joyce. I’ve taken to putting on my driving glasses, the ones I use to see road signs the equivalent of a few city blocks away on the highway, just so I can see the scores on the TV at the foot of my bed!
I thought it was just me with the tennis and the small score boxes. And I’m in my early 40s! That one was dead on.
Thanks for your comment, Karen. Now I know it’s them, not us! (Their small print, not our aging eyes.)